


Bath & Body Bits

by blithelybonny



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Amortentia, I honestly don't know what to tag this as, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, OMG CP 14 Days of Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-09-22 15:02:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9612992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blithelybonny/pseuds/blithelybonny
Summary: Amortentia smells different for everyone, and it smells even better when you're relaxing in the tub after a hard day of Quidditch.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a snippet of a professional Quidditch AU that I now have spent way too much time thinking about and headcanoning for something that I am more than likely never going to really write. But ugh, it could be so coolal;fakldj. (I am a big grumpy whine-bag today, I'm sorry.)

Bitty leans over the cauldron and smiles--the potion is smooth and perfectly mother-of-pearl, and the steam rising from it smells exactly as it should: cinnamony apple, the herbs of MooMaw’s garden, and Jack’s preferred brand of broomstick polish. It just needs to simmer for about twenty more minutes, and then it’ll be ready for distillation.

“Bittle?”

“In here, hun!” Bitty calls back, as he lowers the flame and sets a timer for himself.

“Where else would little baker be, Zimmboni--wow, what smell so good?”

“Oh, um, hiya, Tater!” Bitty whirls around and nervously brushes his hands over his apron, smoothing it down. “Jack, sweetheart, you didn’t, um, you didn’t mention that you’d be bringing--”

“Sorry, Bittle,” Jack replies, not sounding particularly sorry at all. Although that could be more from the fact that his post-morning run routine has been disrupted--normally, he’d head straight to the shower while Bitty finishes up his first batch, and then they’d make breakfast together.

“Is not Zimmboni’s fault, Itty Bitty,” Tater says, as he hooks an arm around Jack’s neck and tugs him in for a hug. He vigorously rubs his free hand into Jack’s chest and laughs, continuing, “I catch up to him on morning run and invite myself. Jack too nice to say no.”

“Oh nonsense, Mr. Mashkov,” Bitty replies, falling back easily on his manners. “You know you’re always welcome to come over here! I just wish I’d’a known ahead of time, I woulda started breakfast a little earlier.” It’s true, though; Bitty’s met several of the Providence Falconers at this point, and Tater is definitely his favorite so far. He’s got an infectious sort of positive energy that Bitty both loves and thinks is a good thing for Jack.

“Whatever you are making is smell amazing,” Tater praises, releasing Jack from his grip and wandering over to the stove. “What is...smells like,” he leans over the cauldron and inhales deeply, coming up with a bright but slightly confused smile, “like fresh air after rainy game, mama’s pirozhki, and...oh.” He suddenly goes red with embarrassment and, just as quickly, narrows his eyes with suspicion and adds, “Bittle, why you are make Amortentia?”

And yeah, Bitty knows by now that it looks bad. While Amortentia isn’t technically illegal, it’s very highly regulated by the Department of Magical Justice because of the very real potential for abuse. But this, Tater has no way of knowing because Bitty knows that Jack can be a little single-minded when it comes to Quidditch and is definitely a little less than forthcoming about their relationship when it comes to his teammates, is just the first step in the process of creating his best-selling bath bombs. After the potion is complete, he manipulates and dilutes the mixture until he can infuse it into the dry ingredients to leave only the “scents you love” part and not the horrifying “creating obsessive love” part.

“Bittle’s a potioneer,” Jack spits out before Bitty can respond. “He’s got, um, permission?”

Bitty watches as Tater’s face does The Thing that everyone’s face does when they find out Bitty’s profession: eyes that widen and then immediately try to play it off like they’re not surprised. It’s not really Tater’s fault, or anyone’s really, as much as it is a really annoying stereotype that all potioneers are dark and broody types. Bitty doesn’t think he could pull off dark and broody even if someone told him that Beyonce was going to stop making music. (Okay, well, maybe then…) But it’s true that he doesn’t exactly look the part, and it’s definitely true that he kinda likes to mess with people when they presume.

But then Tater breaks into another big smile and chirps, “No wonder you are make best pie when so great at follow recipes.”

Bitty wrinkles his nose and points his wand at Tater’s broad chest, as he replies, “I’ll have you know, mister, that the pies actually came first, and you’re flyin’ on rough winds. See if I make you any more pear tarts!”

Tater laughs again and raises his hands in surrender. “I only chirp, Bitty, I only chirp,” he says, as he leans back over the steaming cauldron and inhales the personalized scent again. “But you are not answer why you make love potion first thing in morning…must admit is very suspicious.”

Bitty glances over at Jack, who has made himself comfortable at the kitchen table after flicking a quick spell at the coffee maker to get it brewing a fresh pot and who now shrugs and offers a small smile of his own as if to assure Bitty he’s okay with it, and says, “You ever heard of _Bath and Body Bits_?”

“Oh, yes! Is best lotions and creams and soaps,” Tater replies easily. “I have good friend who like little bath bombs with--oh!”

Bitty grins at the moment of recognition. “Yup,” he says, as he comes around behind Jack’s chair and rests his hands on Jack’s shoulders. “To be honest, it really was Jack’s idea to go public with my recipes and what not. He’s the one who helped me get the company on its feet, and he’s the one who’s always encouraging me to experiment with new things.”

Jack ducks his head, always a little bashful about compliments that have nothing to do with his skill with a broom. “He’s amazing at what he does,” he says, “and I just thought people should recognize that.”

“But you not tell your team, Zimmboni?” Tater asks. “Oh, of course, I know why. You don’t want share more than you already do. You don’t want me to come sweep tiny, baking, potions-making boyfriend off feet and steal away, hmmm?”

Tater’s obviously teasing again, but from the way Jack starts to get a little red-faced, Bitty decides to step in and steer the conversation somewhere else. “So what I wanna know is what made you blush, Tater?” he asks, giving Jack’s shoulders a squeeze.

“What’s that?”

Bitty affects an innocent face and walks over to the refrigerator to get out the fixings for some frittatas and maybe a quick fruit salad. “You said ‘fresh air after a rainy day, your mama’s pieroshkis,’ and then you got all embarrassed when you recognized whatever else it was…” he trails off suggestively. And when he gets the ingredients he needs and turns around, Tater has once again turned a very impressive shade of pink. “Aw, sweetheart,” Bitty then continues, “I was only kiddin’ ya! You don’t have to say if you don’t want.”

“No, is-- is okay, Itty Bitty,” Tater replies, reaching up a hand and scratching at the back of his neck. “I just...is just other scent sort of...it remind me of-- well, there is, might be anyway, someone that I’m like, um, very-- very much.”

It takes literally every single ounce of Bitty’s self-control not to squeal. He manages to say, “Aww, and do they like you back?”

“Bittle,” Jack says, slightly warningly.

Bitty turns away from the stove at that and starts to apologize, but Tater holds up a hand and says, “No, no, is, heh-heh--” he breaks off briefly to chuckle in a way that kinda makes something twinge in Bitty’s chest, “he is only good friend.”

“Aw, honey, I’m sorry,” Bitty says genuinely. He puts everything down on the counter and then goes over to wrap as much of Tater as he can reach in a hug.

“Thank you, Itty Bitty,” Tater replies, hugging Bitty tightly back. He laughs a little bit again after a moment when Bitty pulls away, lighter this time. “He is big fan of your love bombs. I, heh-heh, I order big basket of them for Valentine’s Day. Glitter ones, red and black and silver...give to him, see...never know for sure until try, right?”

“Oh, Tater, totally!”

“Red and black and silver?” says Jack at the same time.

Bitty shoots Jack a quick look, but he’s gone introspective, so he turns back to Tater and claps his hands together. “I’m gonna throw in my new eucalyptus lotion, no charge, and -- ooh! -- and a pie because why not? Oh my gosh, this is the best! Your boy is totally not gonna know what hit him!”

“You have real keeper, Jack,” Tater says, grinning wide and bright again.

“Bittle was a Chaser,” Jack says almost absent-mindedly, before he suddenly stands up from the table and adds, “I’m going to...um, sorry, excuse me.” He glances between Tater and Bitty and then turns and walks briskly out of the kitchen towards the bedroom.

“Am I say something wrong?” Tater asks quietly after a second.

“Um, I don’t know...um,” Bitty casts a quick _Tempus_ and sees that he’s still got about ten minutes before he needs to start distilling the Amortentia, “I’m gonna go see what that was about. Do you mind startin’ the eggs, hun? Thanks!” Without waiting for a response, he heads out of the kitchen after Jack. He has no idea what just happened, but if there’s one thing they’ve been working on since they started dating, it’s talking to one another instead of just letting things stew.

 

After he watches both of them go, Tater searches out a skillet, heats it up and throws in a little butter until it’s nice and sizzling for the eggs, as he makes a mental note to find out what type of pie Kent likes best.


End file.
